Program overview
Cinematographer is a Stage 2 and 3 English and Creative Arts HPGE enrichment program focused on cinematography and persuasive communication. Students deconstruct an environmental campaign to analyse how meaning is shaped, then film in Field of Mars Reserve and edit on iPads to craft compelling short films using camera techniques, sound, text and transitions. HPGE domains: creative, intellectual.
Learning intention
- We are learning how to construct a quality communication product using a range of cinematography techniques.
Essential information
Cost and details
Cost |
$60 per student - GST free This will be processed through the student's home school. This program is only available to NSW Department of Education school students. |
Dates |
Available dates |
Times |
9.15 – Drop off 2.15 – Pick up |
Risk assessment |
See location tile below. |
Transport |
Schools are required to organise transport for students to and from the location. No vehicles are permitted into Field of Mars Reserve. |
Staff |
Teachers are not required to attend but are welcome. |
Student selection |
Maximum 8 students per school per day. When choosing your students, remember the program takes place indoors, outdoors and in public spaces. Students may be near creeks and bushland tracks. While EEC teachers supervise them all day, consider if they’ll need SLSO or teacher support to stay safe. |
Bring |
Sports uniform, backpack, medication, low-waste food, water bottle, sunblock, raincoat, hat, sturdy shoes, reusable name tag. |
View |
Preparing for your excursion |
Welfare |
Participants will be walking during the day on an accessible boardwalk. Wheelchair accessible. May not suit recently unwell participants. For medical or special needs notify staff prior to program. |
Extreme or wet weather |
Program may be modified, postponed or cancelled due to predicted extreme temperatures, bush fire danger, heavy rainfall, high winds or dust storms. |
Booking policy |
Confirm student details 7 days in advance. |
Cancellation fee |
Less than 4 weeks notice – full cost (excluding HPGE programs in Term 1, Weeks 3–5) Weather or fire danger cancellation – $0 |
Activities
Pre-production
Students will be introduced to design methodology for creating an engaging text and video-based campaign. They will deconstruct an existing environmental campaign to understand how the creator’s perspective and purpose are communicated through camera work, composition, editing, sound and persuasive language.
Cinematographer
Each student will use a Field of Mars EEC supplied iPad to explore multiple locations, applying a variety of cinematography techniques to observe, record and interpret the natural environment through film.
Editor
During this session, students will review, sequence and edit their footage, developing their ability to shape meaning through visual storytelling. Using a range of creative applications, they will refine their videos by incorporating text, soundtracks and transitions to strengthen their message. Guided by the principles of persuasive language and multimodal composition, students will craft compelling short films that highlight the value of nature. By the end of the session, each student will have produced a polished campaign piece that blends technical skills with creativity and critical thinking.
Theatre
Completed videos will be shown.
All videos will be returned to school via Google Drive.
This program is only available to NSW Department of Education school students.
Timetable
Time |
Activities |
| 9.15 | Arrival |
| 9.30 - 10.15 | Pre-production |
| 10.15 - 10.30 | Recess |
| 10.30 - 12.00 | Cinematographer |
| 12.00 - 12.30 | Lunch |
| 12.30 - 2.00 | Editor |
| 2.00 - 2.15 | Theatre |
| 2.15 | Depart |
Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary
Syllabus outcomes and content
Syllabus outcomes and content Stage 2
Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus (2024)
Visual Arts
Outcome
- makes artworks using art forms to represent subject matter and ideas, and describes ways artists convey ideas about their world to audiences through artworks CA2-VIS-01
Content
Making: Artists represent their world through subject matter and ideas in artworks
- represent subject matter and ideas in artworks, making choices based on own interpretations of the world
- use drawing materials and techniques to create effects with texture and tone to represent subject matter and ideas
- explore balance, scale and proportion in compositions to represent subject matter and ideas
- demonstrate safe art making practices with respect for physical, social and digital saftey
Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024
Syllabus outcomes and content Stage 3
Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus (2024)
Visual Arts
Outcomes
- makes artworks in intentional ways to represent ideas about their world, and explains ways artists are influenced by contexts and how artworks are interpreted by audiences CA3-VIS-01
Content
Making: Artists represent their world in intentional ways through their artmaking practice
- Represent ideas or perspectives of their world and intentions in own artmaking practice
- Use drawing materials and techniques to create artistic effects to represent subject matter or ideas in intentional ways
- Create intentional effects with awareness of the relationships between colours and tones, to represent subject matter or ideas in realistic, imaginative or symbolic ways
- Use painting materials, techniques and processes to explore ways to apply paint in combination with mixed media materials
- Apply understandings of materials, digital technologies and processes to represent intended ideas in artworks
- Explore artistic conventions and ways to represent subject matter and ideas in compositions
- Demonstrate safe artmaking practices with respect for physical, social, digital and cultural safety
Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024
Location
Field of Mars Reserve
Main location – including risk assessment, maps and track overview.
Teachers or parents will need to drop off and pick up students.
Westminster Road alternate entrance
This entrance or exit offers access during severe high tides and heavy rainfall events that cause flooding on the main Pittwater Road entrance.
Learn with us
Book now
Book your HPGE program using our online booking form.
Learning resources
View online lessons that support primary incursion and excursion programs.
Flora and fauna fact sheets
View our curriculum-aligned fact sheets on Australian animals, plants, ecosystems and environments for NSW primary and secondary students, ideal for research, projects and classroom learning.